After numerous trails yesterday, all of today's walk was on the well established Gritstone Trail, which started from the railway station at Disley. Full of a egg and sausage bap from a "bakery" I followed good tracks between walls and hedges to Lyme Park, a National Trust property. There was an extensive area of open grassland, with "keep out" signs stating it was a deer park. On a modest rise in the distance was the "Cage", a hunting lodge where the ladies watched the men hunting. The main building on the estate was a large stately home with bits from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Being National Trust it had a café. As I arrived a few minutes before it opened I had a look at the 19th century Orangery, which had a few tropical looking plants such as a banana plant, as well as a fountain totally encrusted by moss.
After tea and a scone I continued across the landscape, farmland of fields for sheep and hay. There were several hills to climb today. At the top of one stood "White Nancy", a folly built in 1817 to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo, looking like a large white breast with a black nipple on top. Coincidentally it appeared on the local TV news this morning as it had been the goal of a sponsored climb to raise money for a teacher with Motor Neuron Disease.
The weather forcast had predicted winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour and on the hill tops it was all of that. Coming from the south west it was generally in my face, sapping my strength as I tried to progress, or sometimes hitting me sideways trying to unbalance me. However it was not cold despite being wintertime, which may explain why odd gloves kept appearing, placed over the top of any post that happened to be near in the hope that the owner might return for it. I was feeling cross that I was tiring, as this was one of my shorter days, when I came across a café at Tegg's Nose Country Park. After debating whether to stop or carry on, I chose to stop for a coffee and a cookie. In retrospect a good decision as it gave me renewed energy. After the café I walked by an old quarry. Items of the old machinery to crush and cut rocks had been preserved with informative display boards.
As I knew I had a long day tomorrow I walked as far as the reservoirs by Langley on the south west side of Macclesfield before turning around and heading into the centre for the hotel I had booked. This will save a few hills in the morning. My first time in this northern town of brick buildings and many pubs. I am currently in one of these, busy on a Friday night. A place where women as well as men seem comfortable meeting over a bottle of wine whereas some of the other bars, with sport showing constantly on large TV screens, seem more mens' places.
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